Libertarians: Strive To Beat “Ballot-Blocking” To Get On Ballot

The Libertarian Party of Illinois is running a candidate for Governor, and all of the other statewide races, but the race could be over before it begins.

Chad Grimm, a 33-year-old health club manager from Peoria, and the Libertarian party's nominee for Illinois governor, has some unconventional political views; he believes Illinois should completely do away with a state income tax, and that there should be no -- as in zero - regulations on guns.

"People have a right to defend themself, and the Second Amendment pretty much reads - not pretty much, it reads 'the right to bear arms shall not be infringed.' Well if I have to jump through hoops in order to obtain a firearms, then that's an infringement," he said at a statehouse press conference Monday, June 23.

Grimm tops a seven person slate of Libertarians.  

Candidates for non-established parties had the past 90 days to collect and turn in a minimum 25,000 valid voter signatures if they want to make it on the November ballot. The Libertarian Party of Illinois said it turned in well over that -- 43,921 to be exact -- in hopes of making it past a potential challenge.

The party's political director, Lex Green, said he expects a challenge. He said Democrats and Republicans wrote the law to their advantage-- with its tight timeline and higher signature threshold for third parties:

"It's very clearly invoking the use of government force to inhibit voter choice and to keep other competitors off the ballot, and this is one of the things that we, as libertarians, stand very strong on," Green said. "That we would not use the force of government to achieve advantage."

Green said that leaves the Libertarian Party at the mercy of the state elections board and the "powers that be."

Libertarians began challenging the law years ago, in court; that lawsuit is still pending.

The Green and Constitution Parties also turned in petitions Monday.